Athens Review, Athens, Texas

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May 30, 2008

TxDOT work scheduled near Malakoff, GBC

Special to the Review

Texas Department of Transportation crews are scheduled to begin work Monday on State Highway 198 between Malakoff and Gun Barrel City, weather permitting.

The crew will be at work in various locations on Hwy. 198 through Friday, June 13. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed or stop in and around work zones.

Once the crews are finished on SH 198, they will move on to the following locations throughout the rest of the month:

• State Highway 274 between Tool and the Kaufman County Line;

• Farm-to-Market Road 607 between Farm-to-Market Road 317 in Leagueville and U.S. Highway 175 in LaRue; and

• U.S. Highway 175 inside West Loop 7 in Athens.

The work is being done in preparation for this summer’s District Wide Seal Coat program, which will apply a seal coat to all of the above roads later this summer.

Also, TxDOT has announced it will begin its annual mowing program on Monday.

The department’s annual mowing season, which mows the shoulders and

rights of way throughout the Tyler District, means wildflowers on the sides of the road also get mowed.

“Oddly enough, moving the flowers this time of year, right as they begin to drop seeds, is the best time to mow them,” said TxDOT public information officer Larry Krantz. “The mowing process helps spread the seeds around the area, and will all the rain we’ve been getting, that helps ensure an even more robust crop next year.”

Mowers will be at work throughout the Tyler District for the next few months to complete the work, but their work is scheduled to begin on I-20 in Van Zandt County.

TxDOT maintenance crews work constantly to encourage proliferation of wildflowers on the rights of way, not just for their beauty, but for their practicality: living plants prevent erosion, which in turn helps keep the highway in good shape.

Keeping the vegetation cut short also helps visibility at intersections and around corners.

The goal of planting and encouraging the growth of wildflowers in Texas is part of the Keep Texas Beautiful campaign, which was part of Ladybird Johnson’s vision of a more beautiful American countryside.

“Wildflowers on the side of the highway are a Texas tradition,” Krantz said. “But they’re also part of a bigger plan to keep Texas highways in good shape.”

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